


I Always Knew

by sikeykins



Category: Warrior Cats - Fandom, Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Adventure, Journey, LGBTQ Characters, LGBTQ Themes, Multi, and some deaths for sure, deaf main character, disabled lead, mainly minor characters but some major characters die, mute lead, neurodivergent characters, polyamorous couple, theres some fighting, transgender lead, well she isnt born disabled but she does have an accident ooooopsy daisy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-11 07:56:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7039573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sikeykins/pseuds/sikeykins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*Set in an AU where the sixth arc does not actually happen*<br/>SkyClan has lived for years in their habitat. Daylight warriors are a thing of the past, and though rogues/loners/kittypets are allowed to join, they must keep their paws in camp or not stay at all. Now, with their Clan growing and thriving, SkyClan is beginning to struggle with crowding issues. And to make matters worse, a large band of rogues has settled in the territory and refuses to leave. SkyClan can take these guys for sure! But there's a limitation on how many deaths they can handle. And with the death of a recent member, StarClan has brought forth the prediction of SkyClan's untimely downfall and destruction.<br/>Kestrelface has never liked Beetleheart, yet here he is, trapped on a journey to find alternatives for SkyClan. He's left his niece, Sparrowpaw, back in SkyClan, where she must face against the attacks with her best friends, Shadepaw and Brindlepaw.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

> Family's Not Just Blood is, at the moment, paused due to school work; I will be updating it, but it won't be regularly until I have finished school (and, to be fair, I'm stumped on a few chapters, so I would like to take some time to plot things out further! I spend too much time on the heavy plotlines and not enough time planning out /how/ to get there reST IN PEACE)  
> That being said, I Always Knew is a side project! It has no set schedule at the moment, and will be updated when I have the chance to do so (Like I said, school work's been kicking my ass lately, but I've had a very strong burst of motivation for this story line).  
> on to the characters,,,

** SkyClan **

**Leader** Pipitstar- Gray brown molly with amber eyes

 **Deputy** Mothfoot- Brown and white tabby trans molly, **Apprentice, Lichenpaw**

 **Medicine Cat** Waspstripe- Golden tabby molly with bold black markings **Apprentice, Weevilpaw**

**Warriors**

Pinestorm- Gray brown molly

Newtflower- Brown spotted tom

Pearclaw- White molly, **Apprentice, Tansypaw**

Kestrelface- Predominantly brown tortoiseshell trans tom, **Apprentice, Heatherpaw**

Crowcloud- Dark gray tom

Beechnose- Brown tom

Eelpelt- Very dark brown, almost black molly with a white belly

Jayheart- Light gray brown trans molly

Tawnyfur- Tan tabby molly **Apprentice, Garlicpaw**

Copperflower- Tortoiseshell molly

Ducktail- Brown and white tom

Wrenfoot- Small brown tabby tom

Emberpelt- Ginger tortoiseshell molly **Apprentice, Skipperpaw**

Beetleheart- Black tom with a scarred muzzle and blinded/scarred eye **Apprentice, Lavenderpaw**

Brownwhisker- Brown tom

Voleclaw- Reddish brown molly **Apprentice, Cormorantpaw**

Hemlocktail- White tom

**Apprentices**

Lichenpaw- Pale tortoiseshell molly

Weevilpaw- Dark brown tom

Tansypaw- Golden tom

Heatherpaw- Light ginger tom

Garlicpaw- White molly

Skipperpaw- Ginger tom

Lavenderpaw- Pale blue-gray tom

Cormorantpaw- Black molly

**Queens**

Mintfang- Pale gray trans tom, expecting Crowcloud’s kits

Laurelfur- White agender feline, parent of Mothfoot’s kits: Lilykit and Sparrowkit

Yewheart- Brown molly, expecting Hemlocktail’s kits

Antfoot- Black molly, mother of Shadekit

**Kits**

Lilykit- A white tom kit

Sparrowkit- Brown tabby molly kit with lighter underbelly

Shadekit- Black molly kit

**Elders**

Rowanstripe- Reddish brown tabby tom

Toadclaw- Brown dappled molly with a graying muzzle

Rainfang- Blue-gray tom with flecked pelt

Mudcloud- Brown tom with faint tabby markings

Foxclaw- Dark ginger agender cat  

 

** Band of Rogues **

**They call themselves “Crew” and “Crew mates”/”Crew members”

 **Leader** Nightingale – Light brown tom, brother of Dunnock and Whinchat

 **Second in Command** Dunnock- Brown tabby tom, brother of Nightingale and Whinchat

 **Others  
** Whinchat- Brown molly, younger sister of Nightingale and Dunnock

Magpie- Black and white molly

Oats- Golden brown scarred molly with a graying muzzle; speaks in an odd accent

Marigold- Ginger tom

(other unnamed rogues)

 

** Cats Outside of SkyClan **

**loners are on good terms with SkyClan/neutral, rogues are not

Cinnamon- Tall deep reddish brown molly with darker legs; kittypet

Honeybun- Short, plump golden brown tabby molly; kittypet

Bea- Black molly kitten with white markings and six toes on each paw; kittypet

Privet- Black tom with a white dash on his chest, Swallow’s brother; loner

Swallow- black and white tom, Privet’s brother; loner

 

Family details: Antfoot is the mother of Shadekit, Cormorantpaw and Beetleheart, and her mate was Molefur. Molefur died shortly before Shadekit was born due to wound infections after a rogue scuffle. Toadclaw is the (very old) mom of Newtflower, Kestrelface and Mothfoot. Mothfoot is the oldest by about twelve moons, and Newtflower/Kestrelface were littermates. All three are very close. Mintfang and Lichenpaw are siblings (their mother died giving birth to Lichen). Pearclaw is Laurelfur’s younger sister. Jayheart and Pinestorm are sisters. Yewheart is the mother of Brownwhisker, Ducktail and Wrenfoot; Mudcloud is Yewheart’s father. Hemlocktail and Yewheart are not romantically involved, and Hemlocktail is just the surrogate father for Yewheart’s kits.


	2. The Calm Before The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and we're off n running  
> Heather and Lavender were Kestrel/Beetle's first apprentices, btw ;O forgot to mention but Pearclaw grew up w/ Kestrel and Laurel is about 11 moons older than her

            For a moment, Kestrelface wondered if Pipitstar knew that he had caught that anxious look she had cast around with Waspstripe by her side. But, the tom paid no mind to the odd look and instead turned his head to focus on the kits that tumbled next to him, loudly cheering. Sparrowkit had Lilykit pinned beneath her, letting out a triumphant kitten-yowl that simply ended up in a high pitched squeal of shock as the white tom jabbed his hind paws to Sparrowkit’s soft belly. A black molly kitten skittered from the nursery, dodging her mother’s grooming tongue, and bounded to her friends. Sparrowkit had lifted her brown tabby head and beamed at her friend, calling Shadekit’s name to snag her attention to show off her own trick; the tabby kitten whipped around once Shadekit focused her attention on her and then quickly pounced on Lilykit once more.

            Mothfoot tilted her white chin up proudly as she watched her kits tumble around, a low purr emitting from her throat before she flicked her tail against her younger brother’s side, “Aren’t they wonderful little kits?”

            Kestrelface nodded absent mindedly while Newtflower lifted his head and let out a light chuckle, “I think they’re absolutely darling! You an’ Laurelfur must be proud, eh?"

            Mothfoot nodded again, wry grin crossing her expression before she draped her tail over the sleeping figure of her mate. The white feline snored softly and Kestrelface couldn’t help but feel a stab of sympathy for them. Poor Laurelfur sure had their paws full! They were raising their own two energetic kits, as well as helping Antfoot with her own daughter Shadekit, and Mintfang and Yewheart were both expecting kits. Mintfang seemed like he was ready to give birth any day now, and Yewheart, being the experienced queen she was, was already giving the new to-be father advice on birthing and raising kits. As was Antfoot, who was already raising her third litter. Could one even call it a litter? Kestrelface let out an amused chuffing noise at the thought; every time Antfoot had given birth, it seemed to be a litter of one. The most recent was Shadekit, then there was Cormorantpaw, and lastly there was…

            The tortoiseshell tom cringed at the thought of Beetleheart. The black tom was a pain in the ass to handle, and Kestrelface knew this personally considering he had been raised with the damn guy. He was such a noisy stickler; he fussed over every little thing and honestly irked Kestrelface to no end. Well, he could be worse; the tortoiseshell warrior was thankful Beetleheart was his ‘friend’ – if he could even say that – considering as much as they bickered Beetleheart nearly always had Kestrelface’s back and been there for his defense.

            “Thinkin’ ‘bout Beetleheart, eh?”

            The deeper voice of a molly snapped Kestrelface out of his bitter and conflicted musings, and the spotted tortoiseshell lifted his head up; squinting against the sunlight, he outlined the figure of Pearclaw looming above him with a calm expression. Snorting at his friend’s question, the SkyClan warrior rolled his amber eyes and hauled himself to his paws.

            “Absolutely not!”

            “Drop that ‘not’.” Mothfoot and Newtflower piped in unison with joking tones, grinning widely up at their brother while he only ruffled his pelt and flattened his ears. Growing hot with embarrassment, Kestrelface shouldered past Pearclaw in an attempt to push her away from his teasing siblings’ voices.

            “I’m assuming you’re swoopin’ in to drag me along that sun high patrol we were assigned to, eh?” Kestrelface purred in a playful drawl as he flicked his tail tip amicably against the larger white feline; Pearclaw let out a scoff of sarcastic laughter and rolled her own amber eyes, “Whatever gave you that idea?”

            Her tail tip flicked towards Heatherpaw and Tansypaw, who were huddled closely together and giggling excitedly, and the two warriors approached their apprentices.

            “Ready?”

            The duo of apprentices snapped their heads up, nodding feverishly in unison, before scooting to the side and allowing their mentors to pad out of camp first.

            The patrol went by as most patrols went nowadays. Average. The only concern was the pushing scent of rogue, or more specifically, rogue _s_.

            “Think a group of rogues is makin’ their way over?” Pearclaw muttered as she padded away from a bush after remarking the borders, joining Kestrelface, Heatherpaw and Tansypaw. Shrugging his shoulders, Kestrelface simply flicked an ear, “Who knows? Shouldn’t worry, though. SkyClan’s gettin’ bigger ‘n’ stronger by the day, we can take on a couple of scrawny rogues and rats.”

            Besides that small conversation, everyone kept up their own lax chat. Tansypaw and Heatherpaw had fallen behind, chatting eagerly about Heatherpaw’s quickly approaching naming ceremony. The thought crushed Kestrelface a little, as he had grown fond of training the young tom and Heatherpaw had been his first apprentice, but it filled the tortoiseshell tom with pride. Heatherpaw would make a fine warrior, after all. Tansypaw seemed to gush and fawn over Heatherpaw, which elicited sly glances between Pearclaw and Kestrelface. The two had a feeling that Tansypaw was rather obviously crushing on his friend, though Heatherpaw was rather dense and oblivious to the feelings. Meanwhile, Pearclaw and Kestrelface kept up their own lazy discussions, musing about average things. Life was well for the most part in SkyClan. Greenleaf was here, offering warmth and plenty of prey.

            Heatherpaw suddenly stopped in his tracks, whipping around and pricking up his ears before raising his head. His entire countenance shifted quickly into zealous glee as he called out in a giddy tone, “Lavenderpaw?”

            Kestrelface cringed again at the sight of the pale blue gray tom ducking around a tree, bounding forward to meet his friends. Of all the apprentices in the Clan, why did Heatherpaw have to be so fond of Lavenderpaw, too? With that apprentice around, that could only mean one thing. He was close by.

            And there he was.

            The black tom padded after his apprentice, weaving around the thick trunk of the tree, and came to a slow halt before Kestrelface as their apprentices rubbed muzzles in greeting and began to chit chat eagerly.

            “Oh, it’s _you_.” The black tom drawled out in a bored manner; the tortoiseshell before him simply flicked an ear and twitched his whiskers, scoffing lightly, “Try to sound a little bit more excited to see me, Bee-Bee.”

            “Don’t call me Bee-Bee!” Beetleheart’s fur lifted along his haunches defensively as he huffed, wrinkling his nose up in disgust at the nickname his mother had coined for him. Damn Kestrelface, he never seemed to let it die down.

            “Why not, buddy?” Kestrelface retorted with a quirk of his head, before Beetleheart curled his lips back and rumbled out, “’Buddy’ isn’t a name that really describes our relationship, _pal_.”

            The brown dappled tortoiseshell thrust his muzzle into Beetleheart’s face, inhaling the tom’s sweet scent sharply before snapping back, “ _I’ll_ tell you what word really describes _you_ , -”

            “Boys,” Pearclaw interjected, forcing her shoulder between the two toms’ figures, “As much as I’d love to stick around and watch you two banter for days, I’d like to get back to camp as soon as possible.”

            Kestrelface pricked his ears up and shot his friend a quizzical glance, “Why’s that?”

            Pearclaw’s entire countenance shifted into a beaming grin, white fur along her broad chest puffing out with delighted pride as she rumbled, “Jayheart wanted to share prey with me for sunhigh meal, and her patrol should be arriving any moment now!”

            He rolled his amber eyes before taking a step away from the black pelted figure of Beetleheart; sneering a ‘see you later, Bee-Bee,’ Kestrelface lead Heatherpaw away from Lavenderpaw and back to camp.

            When they had arrived, Pearclaw immediately padded straight to the figure of the gray brown molly Jayheart, and then settled down to share what looked like a plump thrush. Kestrelface flicked the tip of his tail dismissively to let Heatherpaw and Tansypaw go and do their own thing; as they passed, Kestrelface spotted his older sister, huddled next to Pipitstar and Waspstripe with her head bowed and eyes troubled. Pricking up his ears in interest, the tortoiseshell tom took a few steps forward before pausing; that looked like hierarchy business that Kestrelface wasn’t nearly socially experienced enough to intercede.

            “Hey,” The tortoiseshell tom meowed softly as he settled on his belly next to Newtflower, eyes flicking towards Mothfoot, before gesturing to her and the others with his muzzle, “What’s her deal?”

            “Dunno. Pipitstar called Mothfoot over a little bit ago and they’ve been talkin’ with Waspstripe since. Can’t be anythin’ too good, considerin’ Mothfoot looks super worried and scared.”

            “That so?”

            Newtflower nodded slowly, letting out a soft noise of agreement, “Mhm.”

            The littermates sat in silence for a moment, watching their older sister with concern, before Kestrelface leaned his head against his brother’s shoulder. Newtflower simply watched the camp as clan life bustled along; the three kits were doing their thing, rolling around playfully while Laurelfur watched on with a careful eye. Mintfang sat beside them, awkwardly positioned due to his heavily swollen stomach, while Crowcloud rasped his tongue affectionately over his mate’s pale gray head and mumbled sweet things. Antfoot joined Laurelfur after a moment and settled down, offering them a small smile before launching a chat. The two queens continued to talk about StarClan knows what, and eventually Yewheart joined in by brushing her cheek against Antfoot’s affectionately.

            Near the elder’s den were the elders, naturally. Rowanstripe and Rainfang were curled up together, musing about the daily things, while Foxclaw, the youngest of the elders and had only joined the den last moon, was pacing in front of Toadclaw and Mudcloud. They seemed to be ranting about something, probably some fight they had gotten into when they were younger, while Toadclaw and Mudcloud simply shared amused looks.

            Kestrelface flicked his ears and peaked open one eye when he heard the call of Heatherpaw’s name; Lavenderpaw and Beetleheart had entered the camp, and Lavenderpaw was already quickly making his way to Heatherpaw and Tansypaw.

            The black tom who had accompanied Lavenderpaw padded towards Kestrelface and Newtflower with a flick of his tail and a polite dip of his head to greet them.

            “Well, well, well,” Kestrelface purred out slowly, shifting to raise his head from Newtflower’s shoulder, “Look at what the rat dragged in.”

            “The rat dragged in your face.”

            “The rat dragged in _your_ face!” Kestrelface retorted, fluffing up his tortoiseshell pelt. Newtflower snorted dryly before sarcastically mumbling, “You two better slow it down on those wicked insults.”

            Kestrelface chuckled softly at his brother’s remark, before scooting a little to let Beetleheart settle down next to them. Tucking his black paws beneath his chest, the tom gestured with his scarred muzzle towards Heatherpaw and Lavenderpaw, “Can you believe their warrior assessment is tomorrow?”

            “Frankly, I still find it hard to believe you two were the ones who got the apprentices.” Newtflower interrupted with a snide, playful remark, earning a startled noise from Beetleheart and a defensive huff from Kestrelface, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            “It means whatever you want it to mean.”

            Kestrelface flicked his tail at his brother’s counter, “What if I think it means what I don’t want it to mean?”

            “Well, that’s your problem.” Newtflower mumbled back with a lazy grin before he rested his chin on his paws and closed his eyes. Kestrelface snorted again in disbelief before focusing his attention back on his apprentices. Heatherpaw and Lavenderpaw were excitedly rambling about something, while Tansypaw listened with perked ears and invested eyes; the duo continued to chat eagerly, inviting Cormorantpaw in. The black molly got to her paws and padded quickly towards them from where she was chatting with Garlicpaw; the white molly followed after, her own eyes bright with interest.

            “It really is hard to believe. Hey, your sister’s in that new warrior batch. You must be proud, eh?” Kestrelface mused aloud, casting Beetleheart a sidelong glance; the tom nodded his head, “Of course!”

            “Hey, either of you wanna share somethin’ before night fall?” Kestrelface suddenly piped up after the trio had fallen into a moment of silence; the sun was setting by now and casting dim rays of light and streaking the sky pink and gold. Newtflower parted his jaws in a tired yawn, “No thanks, already had my meal. I’m gonna go to sleep, now, though.”

            Kestrelface shot his brother a confused glance when the dappled brown tom got to his paws.

            “Got a dawn patrol to attend in the mornin’.”

            “Ah,” The tortoiseshell tom nodded again in understanding, before pausing and quirking his head to the side, “Two days in a row on dawn patrol?”

            “Ended up like that. Am I a lucky tom or what?” Newtflower ended his last comment on a light, sarcastic note; he turned and, after mumbling a ‘night’ to both Beetleheart and Kestrelface, padded up the path towards the warriors’ den.

            “Does your offer on a meal still stand?” Beetleheart piped up after watching Newtflower disappear into the den at the top; Kestrelface scoffed, “Course not, with you.”

            “Gee, thanks.”

            Kestrelface blew a puff of air from his nose in a soft laugh, getting to his paws and padding towards the pile of prey on the Rockpile, before snagging a plump thrush and trotting back towards Beetleheart.

            “After this, we should head off to sleep, too.” Beetleheart mused, letting Kestrelface take the first bite; as the black tom took his own bite, Kestrelface swallowed his mouthful, “That so?”

            “Got a big day tomorrow. Assessments and what not.”

            The tortoiseshell tom nodded slowly, before continuing to eat beside Beetleheart. Once the prey was finished and any laid-back chat was ended, the duo got to their paws and ambled back to the warriors’ den.


	3. Happy Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome the new protagonist, guys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter this round! Next chapter includes a time skip and some action aha have fun ,,

            Amber eyes snapped open and Kestrelface was jolted rather suddenly out of his sleep by the loud wail from camp; shooting to his paws and bundling forward, the tom pushed to the entrance of the warriors’ den and peered over the ledge of the path for the source of the yowl.

            Down by the freshkill pile, Mintfang’s head was lowered and the light gray tabby fur along his back had lifted; Crowcloud was by his side, trying to gently nudge his mate back to the nursery. Yewheart was taking a few steps towards the medicine cat’s den, but Antfoot had already raced past her and was disappearing into the den in an instant. Laurelfur stepped quickly out of the nursery den, rounding their own kits up and bringing Shadekit along as well, and quickly herded the young, bustling kits away from the nursery. They moved quickly, trying to get the kits down and off of the path before they could get in Mintfang’s way; they stepped to the side once on solid ground, nudging the kits away and ordering the trio to go play, so that Mintfang could have his space in the nursery.

            Paw steps thumped lightly beside him, and Kestrelface cast a glance to the side; he stifled his laughter at the sight of the freshly awoken Beetleheart, whose whiskers were still crumpled and bits of moss still clung to his shoulder and stomach fur.

            “Wh-huh? What’s happening? I heard yelling.” Beetleheart breathed out, as if he too had just snapped out of a dream and was recollecting himself, trying to push back that fog of sleep. Kestrelface nodded towards the path where Mintfang was stepping into the nursery from, “Looks like we’re gonna have some new members in SkyClan.”

            “Oh? Oh! Oh, wonderful.” Beetleheart took a second to connect the statement and the sight he was seeing.

            Glancing to the apprentices’ den, Kestrelface spotted his apprentice, standing between Cormorantpaw and Heatherpaw; he also spotted Voleclaw’s reddish brown pelt and quickly bumped his shoulder against Beetleheart’s, nodding to the molly and their apprentices.

            “We should get down there.”

            Once the duo approached, Voleclaw lifted her head and twitched her tail, “Oh, look who’s up. If you two are finished snoozing, I think it’s time we set out for the final assessment. Now’s a better time than ever, considering camp’s going to be very busy in a few moments.”

            The three apprentices straightened up simultaneously, puffing out their chests with excited pride; Kestrelface nodded calmly and padded forward, brushing against Voleclaw and Beetleheart to signal he was ready to go.

            “Hey, good luck, Cormorantpaw!” Garlicpaw called from the apprentices’ den, before being squished against the entrance as Tansypaw wiggled next to her, “Good luck to you, too, Heatherpaw! And you, Lavenderpaw!”

            A few more apprentices pushed Tansypaw and Garlicpaw out of the way, eyes wide with interest. Skipperpaw leaned over to Tansypaw, muttering to the tom with ginger chest fur puffed out with determined pride, “That’ll be _me_ , some day!”

            ---

            “That’ll be me, some day!” Sparrowkit whispered breathlessly to Shadekit as she scampered to the gathering cats; Shadekit lifted her tail and nodded quickly, determination shining in her amber eyes. Lilykit trotted after them, tiny teeth glinting in a sheepish grin, “We’ll be the toughest of the warriors.”

            Gathered in the center, just before the Rockpile where Pipitstar stood after calling the Clan meeting, were Heatherpaw, Lavenderpaw and Cormorantpaw. The trio of apprentices sat with their chins tilted up and eyes warmly shining in the dimming light. Kestrelface settled beside Voleclaw and Beetleheart, a feeling of strong pride swelling in his chest.

            Pipitstar tilted her graying muzzle up as she began her clan meeting, “I’m sure you all know why we’re gathered here now. Heatherpaw, Lavenderpaw, and Cormorantpaw, you three have trained well and hard to earn this ceremony. Do you three promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your lives?”

            “I do.” Heatherpaw breathed energetically, practically wiggling with excitement. Lavenderpaw meowed loudly after, “I do.”

            Cormorantpaw kept her voice level and remained collected as she stated firmly, “I do.”

            “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Heatherpaw, from this moment you will be known as Heathernose. StarClan honors your honesty and enthusiasm.” Pipitstar touched her muzzle to Heathernose’s forehead, before focusing to Lavenderpaw, “Lavenderpaw, from this moment you will be known as Lavendertail. StarClan honors your patience and cleverness.” Once again, her graying muzzle was touched to the pale blue gray tom’s head, before she turned to the black molly last of all, “And Cormorantpaw, from this moment you will be known as Cormorantfang. StarClan honors your dedication and forethought.” Another touch to the forehead, before Pipitstar shifted and stepped back, standing before all the apprentices.

            “We welcome you as new members of SkyClan.”

            The Clan erupted into the chants of their new clan mates’ names, which carried on for a few moments, until it dwindled and Pipitstar dismissed her SkyClan. The three young warriors got to their paws and made their way with heads held high to the camp entrance to stand vigil.

            The cats dispersed to their own business, and Kestrelface found himself padding towards his siblings, Laurelfur, Jayheart and Pearclaw.

            Laurelfur’s tail was curled around Sparrowkit and Lilykit, who were chatting eagerly while curled up against the white queen’s flank. Shadekit stepped past them, and Sparrowkit perked, calling a ‘night, Shadekit!’ to which Shadekit responded with a wide grin and a wave of her tail. The small black kitten continued to scamper up the path to where her mother was awaiting her.

            “You two should be heading to nest, soon, considering the light’s going down.” Laurelfur purred warmly, flicking their tail against Sparrowkit’s back as Lilykit had remained snuggled against his parent’s fur. Sparrowkit opened her mouth to protest, before clamping it shut at the stern stare from the white pelted feline, and then fell forward, burying her brown muzzle into the soft white fur of Laurelfur’s flank.

            Sparrowkit was snoring in a few moments, much to Laurelfur’s displeasure.

            “Hey, you said you wanted them to get to sleep.” Mothfoot countered lightly as she spotted the look of distaste on her mate’s face; Laurelfur wrinkled their delicate pink nose and blew a sharp puff of air, “Yes, but I wanted them to be sleeping in their nest.”

            “I’m not asleep yet.” Lilykit piped up quietly from where he was curled up next to Sparrowkit, amber eyes wide and shining as he stared up at the other pale pelted feline. The SkyClan queen chuckled warmly and brushed their white tail tip across Lilykit’s back, “Yes, yes, I know, Lilykit. I can see.”

            Mothfoot chuckled warmly at her kits before lowering her head, brushing her muzzle affectionately against Laurelfur’s before leaning down and nosing her kittens. Newtflower watched on with admiring amber eyes, earning a soft chuckle from Pearclaw; the muscular white molly seemed just as proud at her kin as Newtflower did.

            “Hey, Newtflower?” Jayheart lifted her head away from Pearclaw’s shoulder, which she had been grooming lightly after finding a knot of fur. Newtflower’s ear swiveled around and he shifted, glancing at his friend, “Yeah?”

            “Did you see the new kits?”

            The speckled tom perked up again, teeth glinting in a giddy grin, “Oh, yeah! Mintfang’s? Definitely! They’re really adorable, like, wow.”

            Kestrelface glanced to the nursery den before resting his amber eyes on Newtflower and cocking his head to the side, “What are their names?”

            “What do they look like?” Pearclaw pitched in, leaning forward. Neither she nor Kestrelface had had the chance that day to visit the kittens, unlike Newtflower who upon arrival had probably veered straight to the nursery.

            “Ah, two mollies and two toms,” Newtflower began with a swish of his speckled tail against the ground, “Mistkit is a pale gray tom, and lil’ Graykit’s the smallest of the litter. He’s, like, gray with darker gray markings.”

            “Nice description.”

            “Shove your tail in your mouth, Mothfoot,” Newtflower huffed in response to his sister’s snide remark, before continuing on, “Smokekit is a dark gray molly. I think she has lighter paws but I could be wrong. And then there’s the last kit, Brindlekit! She’s light gray like Mintfang with mottle tabby markings.”

            “Brindlekit, eh?” Kestrelface mused lightly, “What a pretty name.”


	4. The Storm Itself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait :'3c been a tad bit busy aha !!  
> this was gonna be a longer chapter but i decided to break it up into two parts so that i could get a chapter up ??? b/c i didn't want to keep pushing it back and "oops a year later and i never updated" jinkies  
> also!!! i do have a tumblr!!! if you wanna hit me up about any details on I Always Knew, you can find me @ Thiiick-thiiighs.tumblr.com ;v; thanks for reading !!
> 
> i should be doing homework

            The rogues weren’t a threat.

            But that was six moons ago.

            The group of rogues had flooded the camp with vicious hisses, and the warriors were getting to their paws now to race down and defend their camp. Some of those mangy felines had already made their ways up the path towards the dens.

            “Kestrelface!” The tortoiseshell tom whipped around, rooting his claws into the pathway as warriors bustled past him; Mothfoot had ordered his name, and there she stood, before firmly ordering, “Tell the apprentices to stay in their dens!”

            Good move. Who knows what these rogues were capable of, and Kestrelface wasn’t sure if anyone in the clan was willing to see an apprentice die brutally at their claws. The tortoiseshell SkyClan warrior gave a curt nod before bounding down the path, veering to the side and hopping to the apprentices’ den entrance. Right on ground level, unfortunately.

            Brindlepaw was already working herself to the front of the den, Sparrowpaw and Shadepaw next to her, with her sharp teeth glinting in a vicious snarl.

            “You three, stay in here!” Kestrelface snapped, blocking the entrance before the trio could get out. Sparrowpaw’s pelt lifted as she glared up challengingly at her kin, jaws parting as if she were about to protest before Garlicpaw shouldered herself in between the warrior and the younger apprentices.

            “Don’t worry, Kestrelface,” The white molly meowed, voice level and low with determination, “I’ll keep them in check.”

            The brown tortoiseshell tom gave Garlicpaw a brief nod of acknowledged thanks, before turning and bounding off. Garlicpaw, Skipperpaw and Lichenpaw were the oldest of the apprentices now, and each three now stood in the den entrance, teeth bared and pelt bristling in case any rogue dared to try and dive in. Shadepaw had rested her tail against Sparrowpaw’s flank in an attempt to calm the fuming brown tabby molly, while Brindlepaw simply narrowed her amber eyes and snorted dryly. Lilypaw hovered in the back of the den with the rest of the younger apprentices, including Brindlepaw’s siblings Smokepaw, Mistpaw and Graypaw. The four littermates had only been apprenticed a few days ago, and this was no event they were anywhere near ready to partake in.

            Kestrelface found himself sinking his teeth into the shoulder of one rogue, claws rooting into the black and white tom’s shoulders and clawing at the pelt. The rogue hissed and reared onto his hind paws, but Kestrelface kept his grip on tight; the duo fell to the ground in a heap of grappling claws and teeth, snagging onto whatever pieces of fur and skin they could get onto.

            Heathernose and Lavendertail fought side by side against two more rogues, their teeth bared and hackles raised. Tansycloud leapt forward, meeting one rogue that had leapt for the pair midair and tumbling to the ground with a dull thump and a loud yowl of anger. The trio fought together, kicking at the rogues, ducking when a blow was about to land too close to their face and then letting whoever was behind them deal another blow to a rogue.

            At the nursery, Yewheart and Antfoot stood side by side, matching their blows against a foolish rogue who had stepped too close to the den. A small white head poked out of the den’s opening, blue eyes wide, before quickly retreating in and disappearing into the darkness. Cormorantfang was down in the camp, having pinned one rogue and digging her claws into the rogue’s shoulders as the feline thrashed beneath her.

            Jutting out his brown paws, Kestrelface managed to kick the black and white rogue right in the belly and send him sliding backwards, giving the SkyClan warrior just enough time to scrabble to his paws. In the rush of getting to his paws, Kestrelface had unfortunately given the rogue just enough time to scrabble to his own paws and lunge forward; the tortoiseshell warrior could feel the rush of air against his throat as he pulled back in the nick of time, watching as the rogue’s jaws snapped shut where Kestrelface’s throat had originally been. The warrior ducked as the patched rogue swung his paw around, and the tortoiseshell tom winced at the stinging sensation that wracked his ear. There was another blow to his muzzle, knocking the tortoiseshell back, and Kestrelface took in a gulp of breath as the world spun momentarily.

            And then he was being knocked to the ground, landing with a rough enough slam to daze him further; Kestrelface let out a low groan at the throbbing sensation that graced the back of his head. His amber eyes caught sight of the rogue rearing his head back, and Kestrelface gritted his teeth, well aware of what the tom was aiming to do. The rogue’s head came down in an attempt to clamp his jaws around Kestrelface’s throat, but Kestrelface snapped his head up and forwards, knocking both of their heads together in an awkward impact. Was it the smartest move? Not really, considering that _really_ hurt Kestrelface’s head, but he knew damn well that he needed to block his throat and maybe stun the attacker. It was enough, for sure, considering the rogue reared back.

            Kestrelface rolled to the side, scrabbling to his paws and shaking his head; pelt bristling, the warrior wasted no time in planning another attack and rammed his shoulder against the rogue’s side. He shoved the feline against the wall of the gorge with a fierce hiss, before scrambling and sinking teeth into the black and white tom’s neck.

            Jerking his head downwards, Kestrelface brought the rogue down with him and began to pull backwards, causing the caught feline to stumble and stagger after him. The rogue thrashed a bit, causing Kestrelface to root his teeth in deeper; when there was a shriek of surrendering pain from the rogue, the tortoiseshell loosened his grip enough so that the tom could tear himself away. Blood welled up from the bite injury and a few crimson specks had littered the ground.

            The rogue arched his back as if preparing to fight again, before he was suddenly squashed by the weight of a black tom. Beetleheart had leapt into the fray from one of the rocks along the gorge, and with his paw planted firmly on the back of the rogue’s head, he pressed downwards in a manner to shove the rogue’s muzzle into the dirt.

            The rogue kicked his white legs out for a few moments, before finally falling still and slumping against the ground in a defeated manner. Taking the hint, Beetleheart slid off of the rogue’s back; the black and white tom staggered to his paws, shooting a scornful hiss towards Kestrelface, and he bounded off back the way he had come.

            “You took a good ol’ chomp outta that guy’s neck, eh? _I_ certainly would’ve backed down after that bite.” Beetleheart scoffed lightly, wrinkling up his muzzle in disgust; Kestrelface ruffled the thick fur around his chest in pride, “You know it.”

            They separated during the battle and went to help others. At first, the brown tortoiseshell was tempted by the urge to bound to the medicine cat’s den and defend the herbs and cats there, but he quickly changed his mind after spotting Weevilpaw. The medicine cat apprentice had his claws hooked in the muzzle of a rogue, then jerked his paw down to bring the rogue’s muzzle crashing against the stone; for a cat who was all for healing and pacifism, Weevilpaw sure knew how to pack a wallop. 

            The tom’s stomach twisted at the sight of the elders’ den, however. A white rogue had found his way to the den and was grappling with Rainfang. The white jaws of the feline were firmly clamped around the blue gray flecked tom’s throat, and though Rowanstripe was heaving himself out of the den to pull the rogue away from his companion, a part of Kestrelface knew it was already too late. The rogue sunk his teeth in deeper to the gray fur, before dropping the flecked elder’s throat as Foxclaw hooked their claws into the white rogue’s shoulders and yanked backwards. Rowanstripe pulled Rainfang away from the rogue, reddish brown head bent over the elder as he muttered desperately to the tom; the life was draining rapidly from Rainfang’s eyes, and with his fleeting strength, the flecked blue gray tom simply pressed closer against Rowanstripe’s legs.

            There was a shriek from the white rogue as he lost his footing from being shoved, toppling down from the entrance of the elders’ den and tumbling down the gorge. Foxclaw stood at the place where the rogue had fallen, claws rooted into the dirt and teeth bared; the rogue landed with a heavy thud on the solid ground and didn’t get back to his paws.

            “Kestrelface, look out!” Pearclaw’s yowl snapped the tortoiseshell tom out of his dazed realization of the severity of the situation around him, just in time to let him drop to his pale brown belly and feel the air whirl around him as an older golden brown, scarred molly leapt past. The molly tumbled after missing, but quickly scrambled to her paws and whipped around to face Kestrelface; the lips of her graying muzzle were pulled back to reveal her bloodied teeth. Part of the SkyClan warrior didn’t wish to fight the molly, considering she was probably as old as Toadclaw, but he didn’t cave into that desire as the molly darted forward again. He was quick enough to get most of his body out of the way, but not fast enough to flick his tail out of harm’s way. The older molly’s teeth sunk deep into his tail, and the warrior let out a startled shriek of pain before kicking out his hind paw; he slammed his light brown paw against the molly’s head, where of which he wasn’t sure, but he was sure that it was enough to dislodge her from his tail and send her rolling away again.

            Another rogue, a black and white molly, landed with a thump beside the golden brown molly after Pearclaw had thrown the dual colored rogue off of her shoulders. So, Pearclaw was closer than Kestrelface had originally thought. The patched molly quickly got to her paws, helping up the older molly, and the duo raised their hackles and bared their teeth.

            They paused, however, at the call, “Lark’s dead! Lark’s dead! Crew members, retreat!”

            The black and white molly took off quickly, but the older golden brown molly flashed her teeth in an aggressive snarl, offering Kestrelface and Pearclaw one last hiss before turning and pelting away. Kestrelface leaned against the white molly beside him, lifting his head to yowl in triumphant, but he didn’t get out any beginning note as he felt Pearclaw tense and bristle. Curiously, Kestrelface twisted around to follow the brawny molly’s gaze; the sight made Kestrelface’s pelt stand on end.

            Mothfoot stood over a brown tabby tom, her white paws planted firmly on the dead rogue’s shoulders, and her white jaws parted to reveal bloodied teeth. Behind her stood a swaying Pipitstar; her thick gray brown fur was messy and rumpled, and it parted along her throat to reveal a serious injury. Crimson blood had welled up from the wound and already began to clot the thick fur surrounding.

            A brown molly scampered to the limp figure of the brown tabby rogue, lowering herself to show respectful submission to Mothfoot; another brown tabby tom padded by her side, mimicking the brown molly’s movements. However, they cringed and hissed as a larger light brown tom shoved past them, greeting the brown and white tabby deputy with a threatening snarl. Mothfoot let out a matching, throaty growl in response to her challenger, pelt raising along her shoulders and tail lashing. She lifted up her paws, however, and allowed the light tabby tom to drag the deceased rogue back and away.

            The three rogues supported the limp figure of, what Kestrelface assumed to be, Lark and quickly padded away from the camp. Mothfoot whipped around, gaze sweeping the camp before she quickly stepped to Pipitstar; Waspstripe and Weevilpaw were bounding out of their den, bundles of herbs in their jaws. Weevilpaw’s shoulder was trickling blood and his ear had been shredded, but he didn’t seem to notice as he went to work with the other injured cats. Waspstripe was at Pipitstar’s side in an instant, to which Pipitstar snapped, “Don’t tend to me, right now. Tend to the others!”

            “But Pipitstar,” The golden yellow tabby protested firmly, “That wound on your throat’s serious, it needs immediate treatment.”

            “Tend to my warriors, first, Waspstripe.” The gray brown leader ordered, voice level and firm, as she got shakily to her paws; Kestrelface winced a little at the sight of the trembling leader, blood trickling down Pipitstar’s graying jaws.

            “Hey,” Pearclaw’s stern voice snapped the tortoiseshell tom out of his dazed worries for the second time that day. His amber eyes flickered up to meet Pearclaw’s amber ones as she continued to speak, “You can’t just zone out during a battle like that. What were you doing on the path, anyways?”

            Kestrelface lowered his head, flicking his tail towards the direction of the elders’ den; that seemed to be enough of a sign for Pearclaw to realize that Kestrelface had been attempting to climb up.

            “We lost Rainfang.” The tortoiseshell tom muttered beneath his breath, earning a soft, “Sweet StarClan,” from Pearclaw.

            Kestrelface twisted around to see Newtflower hurrying over to him, before stepping forward to touch his muzzle against his litter mate’s. Newtflower’s ear had a good piece bitten into, his brown dappled fur rumpled, but thankfully he wasn’t bleeding too heavily.

            “Are you alright?”

            “M’fine.” Kestrelface assured quietly, before glancing to Pearclaw. She spotted Jayheart by Pinestorm’s side; the sisters both seemed safe and in no serious injury. Tansycloud, Heathernose and Lavendertail were grouped together and thankfully neither of them seemed to be badly injured either. Cormorantfang was by the apprentices’ den, checking on the apprentices; a gash on her back was bleeding heavily, but she seemed unfazed. Garlicpaw, Skipperpaw and Lichenpaw bore their own injuries as well, and Kestrelface knew they had done their job guarding the den’s entrance. Laurelfur limped towards Pearclaw, lowering her head as she quickly inquired if the molly was hurt. After assuring her that no, she was fine, Pearclaw touched her pink nose tentatively to the cut on Laurelfur’s face, which had forced her eye to swell shut.

            “Are you alright?”

            “I’ll be fine.” The shorter molly stated firmly, before brushing past Pearclaw and heading towards the apprentices’ den. Mintfang, Crowcloud and Antfoot were already well on their way towards the den to check on their own kits.

            Kestrelface glanced to his older sister, who was fidgeting impatiently next to Waspstripe as the golden yellow tabby tended to her injuries. Mothfoot seemed about ready to bolt back to her family, honestly.

            “Are there any casualties?” Pipitstar’s hoarse call made Kestrelface flinch, before he glanced up to his swaying leader. She didn’t look well from where she fought to stand on the Rockpile, but she still kept her voice level. Kestrelface piped up to inform his leader, “Rainfang was killed.”

            Ears flicking back, Pipitstar drew in a shaky breath and nodded slowly, “Pearclaw, can you bring his body down?”

            “Right away, ma’am.” The white molly obliged, turning and quickly hurrying up the slope to collect the deceased elder’s figure.

            Weevilpaw and Waspstripe were still making their rounds, and when Weevilpaw came to Kestrelface’s aid, the warrior remained still and let the apprentice do his work. His amber eyes searched the camp; Beetleheart was standing awkwardly, lifting up one paw tenderly that bore a nasty bite wound. Hopefully Waspstripe or Weevilpaw would be attending to him shortly.

            When Pearclaw came back down, Rainfang slumped over her shoulders, the rest of the elders padded after her. Rowanstripe seemed numb, his expression blank and amber eyes clouded with grief as he padded after; Foxclaw followed, their head low. Kestrelface felt a stab to his heart at the words Foxclaw was muttering, “I tried to save him. I really did try. I tried to protect him.”

            Toadclaw and Mudcloud padded after, side by side, with their heads bowed in grievous respect. Pipitstar heaved herself forward to meet Pearclaw in the middle of camp, but there was a startled yowl of panic from one of the warriors as the thick furred leader collapsed into a heap on the ground. Waspstripe was by her leader’s side in an instant, already moving to work with her wounds and try to save her; the pair had always been close, honestly, and Kestrelface could see the panic in the older medicine cat molly’s eyes as she struggled to care for Pipitstar. Weevilpaw had begun to approach tentatively, watching with wide and fearful eyes, and it seemed as though the entirety of SkyClan had come to an abrupt halt. Mothfoot hovered by Laurelfur, Lilypaw and Sparrowpaw with her ears pricked, concern glazing her amber eyes.

            Waspstripe’s movements slowed and the pressure she was applying to cover Pipitstar’s injuries slackened; the golden yellow tabby slumped a bit, heaving a tired sigh and lowering her silver tinged muzzle.

            “She’s gone.” The failed croak was heavy with grief and a bit of fearful anxiety. Was she worried about the future? Did Pipitstar’s death mean something more?

            “She must have some lives left!” Mothfoot piped up from where she stood, only to be greeted with the shaking of the golden tabby medicine cat’s head. Waspstripe hauled herself to her paws and gestured for Pearclaw to place Rainfang’s deceased figure by Pipitstar’s; the molly turned and padded back towards her den to get the typical vigil herbs.

            ---

            “Shouldn’t I stay to sit vigil?” Mothfoot’s voice was startled and puzzled as she stood by Waspstripe. The older medicine cat had her apprentice by her side as she spoke, “We can’t, it’s urgent that you get your lives now. You’ve said your goodbyes and given both bodies the proper speech to help guide them to the stars.”

            “Waspstripe,” Mothfoot began, before being quickly cut off by the golden tabby turning on her paws and beginning to pad towards the Sky Rock.

            “We have some serious things to discuss, Mothfoot.” Waspstripe meowed blankly as she led the to-be leader away from the camp.

            Kestrelface watched silently from where he stood beside the bodies of Rainfang and Pipitstar. What could be so urgent that Waspstripe was dragging Mothfoot off to get her nine lives immediately? What could be so urgent that Waspstripe was actually skipping the visual of one of her closest friends?

            He had to drag his mind away from it; the rest of the night passed in a droning, tired blur as he zoned out. He vaguely remembered pelts brushing against his side every now and then.

            ---

            “I have some very important announcements to make.” Mothstar meowed firmly after she had called the Clan to gather around the Rockpile for news; the brown and white tabby had taken surprisingly long while up at Skyrock, and she had only just returned at Sunhigh. It was well past Sunhigh by now, and Kestrelface assumed Mothstar was waiting for everyone to wake up or be in camp.

            “As you all know, Pipitstar has been killed last night. During her last few moons, she and I discussed the idea of a deputy in case something like this happened. After spending some more time on the decision, I have finally made up my mind.” Mothstar began calmly, her amber eyes searching the crowd.

            “Antfoot,” Mothstar began, waiting patiently as the crowd parted and the black molly padded towards the front, “You have done much for the Clan. You’ve trained two apprentices,” The brown and white tabby molly paused to nod towards Pinestorm and Beechnose, “You’ve brought in three strong cats that help and defend our Clan, and you’ve continued to fight for us as if SkyClan were your child. We honor you and your aid, and I say this before the sky so that the ancestors may hear: Antfoot, will you take the role of SkyClan’s new deputy?”

            “I will, Mothstar.” Antfoot stated steadily, dipping her head respectfully to Mothstar. The new leader smiled softly, watching with a calm expression as the Clan broke into yowls of support for the new deputy. Beetleheart, Cormorantfang, and Yewheart seemed to be yowling the loudest.

            Flicking her brown tail to silence the calls, Mothstar continued on, “And with that, I would like to name three new warriors. Garlicpaw, Lichenpaw and Skipperpaw all showed great maturity and bravery in the battle, and they have come of age.”

            The three apprentices were already at the front, eyes gleaming with excitement as Mothstar began to name each one with their new names.

            Kestrelface watched in quiet, nodding along at what his elder sister was saying; the trio had fought well and defended the entrance with their lives, and honestly, they had been training hard for many moons.

            He finally lifted his voice with the rest of the crowd to call the new names, “Garlicwhisker, Lichenpelt, Skipperstorm!”

            After the chanting died down, Mothstar nodded slowly, calling out to her warriors once more, “Clan meeting dismissed. Beetleheart, Kestrelface, meet me in my den. I must speak with you two in private.”

            Her solemn tone didn’t create the best feeling of hope for Kestrelface.


End file.
